Glossary

The focal concepts of the metadata are presented here in alphabetical order. They include survey instruments and their use, statistical calculation systems and classification standards. Survey questionnaires are also included as well as internet links for more detailed information. The downloadable document Survey indicators (pdf) provides more detailed descriptions for the survey indicators and their psychometric qualities. Bibliographic references are also included.

ATC/DDD classification of WHO

The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System with Defined Daily Doses (ATC/DDD) system classifies therapeutic drugs. The purpose of the system is to serve as a tool for drug utilisation research in order to improve quality of drug use. The DDD is a measure of drug use, based on sales and/or prescriptions. The DDD is becoming a standard in EU, but it is not yet in use in some of the Member States.

Complete ATC/DDD online >>>

CAGE

The CAGE questionnaire is a 4-item screening instrument for clinically significant alcohol problems in a variety of treatment and non-treatment settings. A total score of 0-4 results from summing positive answers. A positive score on the CAGE is meant to alert the clinician to engage in further inquiry about a patient's alcohol use patterns and alcohol-related problems and symptoms. It takes less than 1 minute to administer and score the CAGE.

The CAGE questionnaire (pdf)

CIDI-SF

The World Health Organisation Composite International Diagnostic Interview, Short Form. CIDI is a comprehensive, fully-structured psychiatric diagnostic interview designed to be used by trained nonclinician interviewers to diagnose more than 40 mental disorders among adults from different cultures according to the definitions and criteria of both ICD-10 and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic systems for lifetime, last year, last 6 months, last month, and last 2 weeks. The CIDI is available in lifetime and 12-month versions, in regular and in short form, and in both paper and pencil and computer-administered forms. The latter version is suitable for self-administration by cooperative subjects. During a CIDI interview, respondents are asked closed-ended questions about symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

CIDI questions for any anxiety disorder (pdf)
CIDI questions for major depression (pdf)

Complete CIDI online >>>

Crude Death Rate

The crude death rate describes mortality in relation to the total population. Expressed in per 100 000 inhabitants, it is calculated as the number of deaths recorded in the population for a given period divided by population in the same period and then multiplied by 100 000.

ICD-10

International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision. The ICD has become the international standard diagnostic classification for all general epidemiological and many health management purposes. The ICD-10 was endorsed by the Forty-third World Health Assembly in May 1990 and came into use in WHO Member States as from 1994. The classification is the latest in a series which has its origins in the 1850s. Today the ICD-10 is in use in most of the EU, but some Member States still use the previous version of ICD, the ICD-9.

Complete ICD-10 online >>>

NUTS 2 Regions

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) is defined for the Member States of the European Union. The NUTS is a three-level hierarchical classification, that subdivides each Member State into a whole number of NUTS 1 regions, each of which is in turn subdivided into a whole number of NUTS 2 regions and so on. Because the subdivision depends on the size of the population, both NUTS 1 and 2 are equivalent to the whole country in some smaller countries. These include Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, and Slovenia.

Oslo Social Support Scale

The Oslo Social Support Scale is a three-item scored rating scale for measurement of social support. The total score is calculated by summing up individual item scores and ranges from 3 to 14, with higher scores indicating higher social support. The following categorisation has been suggested: Poor social support: total score 3-9; moderate social support: total score 10-12; strong social support: total score 13-14.

The Oslo Social Support questionnaire (pdf)

RAND-36 / SF-36

The RAND-36, also known as SF-36 is a short form measure of perceived health status in the general population. The measure contains 36 items that are combined to form eight scales to measure the following health concepts: Physical Functioning, Physical Role Functioning, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Emotional Role Functioning, and Mental Health. All dimensions are independent of each other.

The RAND-36 / SF-36 is designed for self-administration. Alternatively, a trained interviewer can use a standardised script for face to face and telephone interview. The questionnaire takes 5-10 minutes for respondent to complete. It can be administered to anyone over the age of 14.

Questions for psychological distress (MHI-5 index) (pdf)
Questions for energy, vitality (Energy and vitality index) (pdf)
Questions for psychological impairment (Role limitations due to emotional problems index) (pdf)

RAND-36 / SF-36 questionnaire and scoring >>>

Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) is a ten item Likert scale with items answered on a four point scale - from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The scale is perhaps the most widely-used self-esteem measure in social science research.

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale questionnaire (pdf)

Further information >>>

Self-reported use of mental health services

Spontaneous help-seeking due to mental health problem. Includes any source of help, both professional and non-professional. Although the sources of help are sorted out in the questionnaire, there is only one measure in the indicator, simply yes/no.

The Self-reported use of mental health services questionnaire (pdf)

Sense of Mastery

The Personal Mastery Scale has become perhaps the most widely used measure in health research. It consists of 7 items which are answered on a 5-point (strongly agree, agree, not agree or disagree, disagree, strongly disagree) scale and has been shown to exhibit reasonable internal reliability.

The Sense of Mastery questionnaire (pdf)

Standardised Death Rate

The standardised death rate is a weighted average of age-specific mortality rates. The weighting factor is the age distribution of a standard reference population, which in the MINDFUL data is the "standard European population" as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Thus, the standardised death rate represents what the crude death rate would have been if the population had the same age distribution as the European standard population.

Threatening Experiences (Negative life events)

The List of Threatening Experiences is a 12-event inventory initially modified from a 67 life-events inventory introduced by Tennant and Andrews. The categories ask about recent adverse experiences of personal relationships, employment, illness, and financial and legal issues in the last six months.

The threatening experiences questionnaire (pdf)